Advancing Technologies for Measuring the Largest Angular Scale CMB

宇宙学是对宇宙的宏观研究。这一领域最重要的研究手段之一是对被称为“宇宙微波背景”的非常微弱的辐射进行仔细的测量。这种辐射非常微弱。此外，还有来自非宇宙学来源的其他辐射信号必须加以区分。使这类实验能够进行所需测量的技术和仪器是一个重大挑战。多年来，对这种背景辐射的更微弱方面的研究取得了进展，这些辐射随后被用来测试相互竞争的理论模型。为了实现这样的科学进步，必须进一步改进基础技术，就像本项目将进行的那样。该团队将为下一代科学家提供仪器培训，并将利用这一项目加强他们的公众教育工作。该项目旨在开发一种增强的旋光仪技术，以在宇宙学大角度测量器(CLASS)上研究再电离和膨胀宇宙学。类是为了在大于10度的角度尺度上测量宇宙微波背景(CMB)极化(对应于20度附近的球谐多极矩)而建立的。这项调查希望在接近银河系前景最低频率的70%的天空上制作一张高保真的偏振图。该项目将开发增强的更大尺寸探测器阵列和硅光学器件，以提高类灵敏度，最终允许更好地了解早期宇宙和基本物理。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Cosmology is the big-picture study of the universe. One of the most important means for research in this field is to make careful measurements of the very faint radiation known as the “cosmic microwave background.” This radiation is very faint. Also, there are other radiation signals from non-cosmological sources that must be distinguished. The technology and instrumentation to allow such experiments to make the needed measurements is a major challenge. Over the years progress has been made studying ever fainter aspects of this background radiation that are then used to test competing theoretical models. To enable such scientific progress, the underlying technologies must be improved further as will be undertaken in this project. The team will provide instrumentation training for the next generation of scientists and will leverage this project to enhance their public education efforts.This project seeks to develop technology for an enhanced polarimeter to study reionization and inflation cosmology on the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS). CLASS is built to measure the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization on angular scales greater than 10 degrees (corresponding to spherical harmonic multipole moments near 20). The survey looks to produce a high fidelity polarization map over 70% of the sky at frequencies near the Galactic foreground minimum. This project will develop enhanced larger format detector arrays and silicon optics that will improve CLASS sensitivity to ultimately allow better understanding of the early universe and fundamental physics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.